SCO prioritizes battle against illegal drug trafficking

BEIJING, June 26. /TASS/. The war on illegal drug trafficking is a top priority of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov said in an interview with TASS this Friday, June 26, dubbed International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. "For the Shanghai Cooperation Organization this day has a special meaning. The fight against illicit trafficking has transformed into a priority activity of the SCO and its Charter reflects that," the top official said. A menacing trend The issue of non-medical use of narcotics and psychotropic substances has become ever more pressing, the Secretary General said. According to the UN 2019 World Drug Report, people using drugs numbered over 270 mln in the 15-64 age group (5.5% of world population) which is 30% higher than in 2009. The number of opioid users alone grew 1.5 times in 2016 - 2017 totaling 53.4 mln people. The underground drug market’s revenues are estimated at approximately $320 bln. The alarming surge of the drug business and drug addiction seen over the recent years has adversely affected practically all spheres of society and government, undermining institutions, social norms, and particularly the gene pool of nations. The world today is open like never before with trade, economic and individual connections between countries, regions, organizations, and people circulating, so these opportunities are now used by transnational criminal networks dealing in illegal drug production, trafficking, and trade, the SCO chief pointed out. He added that the path to success in fighting the drug trade involves not only the increased effectiveness of law enforcement structures, but also a consolidation of nations’ diversified efforts by sharing their best practices, information, and harmonization of legislation, national strategies and approaches to solve this issue. Cooperation The Secretary General said that currently one can confidently state that the SCO is one of the most prominent regional organizations involved in anti-drug issues. "We have a common normative base and a flexible institutional cooperation foundation which encompasses absolutely all aspects of anti-drug policy, from intelligence gathering activities to the realization of a whole range of preventative, medical, and rehabilitation measures," he emphasized. A three-level mechanism of regular consultations by the relevant organizations implements the renewed SCO anti-drug strategy and its program. Due to their joint effort, up to 40% of illegally trafficked opioids have been seized throughout all of Eurasia. The Secretary General went on to say that the anti-drug interaction of the SCO member states continues to develop and to adapt to new challenges, which are particularly apparent now with the changes that are occurring on the illegal drug market due to the coronavirus pandemic. Above all, the lockdowns introduced by nations have increased the already growing share of digital communications in the life of society, which correspondingly influenced the channels of drug distribution. Practical measures "In relation to that I would like to mention the importance of the applied nature of the joint event of the SCO and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime on fighting drugs over the Internet’s underground segment better known as the DarkNet which was held at the beginning of March of this year on the sidelines of the 63rd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna," noted the top official. He pointed out that simultaneously practical measures of reacting to the new risks are being hammered out. For example, as a result of the last two SCO anti-drug Spider Web operations directed at intercepting synthetic drugs and virtual payments in the drug trade, among other things, over 10 tonnes of narcotic and psychotropic substances were seized. The Afghan route A top priority by the SCO is curbing drug trafficking from Afghanistan. "In fact, our states form a unified barrier to fight global drug violence which threatens not only us but also far more distant countries in Europe, North America, Africa, Australia, and Oceania," he emphasized. The SCO chief mentioned the organization’s interaction with its Afghan partners within the SCO-Afghanistan Contact group and the due international recognition of the SCO input to the global anti-drug effort. Drug dealing and terrorism The top official noted that the SCO closely follows the growing symbiosis of the drug business with other transboundary challenges and threats. In this context, the phenomenon of drug terrorism is particularly alarming when income from illegal drug trafficking is used to sponsor terrorist activity. The SCO Regional anti-terrorist structure counteracts this activity and thanks to its coordination, 24 channels financing terrorists were shut down over the past year. The SCO managed to boost international attention here on this issue and secure UN support for multi-level cooperation between the two organizations. New tendencies "We notice some new tendencies connected to illegal drug trafficking," the SCO chief said. He noted that the suspension of ground and air transportation has led to the concentration of drug production on internal markets, while drug trafficking has been moving south towards the maritime routes of transport. In the first half of this year, Indian and Pakistani law enforcement intercepted large drug batches imported via seaports. Additionally, drug trafficking from the Golden Triangle zone continues, to China and India, among others. In relation to that, the SCO plans to expand its interaction in the format of SCO-ASEAN-UN ODC. The top official emphasized that SCO member states support the inviolability of the three UN anti-drug conventions and view them as a cornerstone of the contemporary international drug control system. Narcotics and psychotropic substances should be employed for scientific and medical purposes exclusively, while the recent tendencies to legalize cannabis for recreational use only serve to erode the established international anti-drug legislation. Refining rehabilitation The Secretary General noted that the organization places great emphasis on the implementation of the 2018 SCO Concept to prevent the abuse of narcotics and psychotropic-substances in order to decrease the influence of their illegal trafficking on public health and safety. He concluded that member states intend to refine medical and rehabilitation aid to those who suffer from drug addiction, conduct joint narcological research, develop new methods of chemical and toxicological testing and perfect treatment of drug-addicted patients. Read more